Breast self-examination, breast self-exam, or simply BSE, is the self-examination of the breasts. It is something a woman does at home to inspect for changes or problems in the breast tissue.
In breast self-examination, a woman may try to apply light-moderate pressure to palpate for lumps.
Purpose for Breast self-examination:
A breast self-exam is an early detection tool that uses a combination of physical and visual examinations of the breasts to check for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. The purpose of a breast self-exam is to become self-aware of the breasts look and feel. This is also called breast self-awareness. It helps identify any changes or abnormalities in the breasts, such as a lump or skin changes. Any changes in the breasts discovered during a breast self-exam should be reported to the healthcare provider right away.
Most medical organizations don't recommend routine breast self-exams as a part of breast cancer screening. That's because breast self-exams haven't been shown to be effective in detecting cancer or improving survival for women who have breast cancer. It should not take the place of regular mammograms and clinical breast exams.